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Food, family and memories are as intertwined in the South as if woven on the same thread. At any function we attend, from a party to a wedding to a funeral, we are as likely to talk as much about the food that was there, as we are about why we are gathered. ~Mary Foreman

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Monday, February 15, 2010

Beignets are slightly sweet fritters, deep fried and sprinkled with a generous dousing of powdered sugar. Best when served with a strong New Orleans chicory coffee.

Beignet Doughnuts

It's Shrove Monday, or the Monday before Ash Wednesday, now mostly just referred to as Lundi Gras, meaning that Carnival season is winding down and the Lenten season is about to begin. It is the time that certain Christian denominations, in particular Catholic, Episcopal and Lutheran, begin to reflect, prepare for confession, and seek penance to obtain absolution for our sins. It is, in essence, the day before the final blowout - Fat Tuesday. No better appropriate time to bring you my final recipe to add to the Mardi Gras brunch and party foods list for New Orleans Style Café au Lait and French Market Beignets!

Oh my gosh, the memories associated with beignets for me are many and they are all associated with one place, the Café du Mondé coffee stand, in the Old Jackson Square area of the French Market in downtown New Orleans. Café du Mondé, established in 1862, is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, except for Christmas (and the occasional hurricane threat) and sells primarily two things - chicory coffee and beignets. Beignets are essentially deep fried, only slightly sweet fritters, that are sprinkled with a generous dousing of powdered sugar and served straight out of the fryer. At the coffee stand they come in orders of three, which is just the right amount.

Grabbing a plate of these hot beignets and a cup of café au lait after a long night out and about in town - and more specifically, the French Quarter - was just the ticket to wind down the night, and we did it often. Served primarily al fresco, though they do have a teeny, tiny indoor seating area, it didn't matter whether it was 40 degrees outside or 100, 5:00 o'clock at night, or 3:00 o'clock in the morning, I can never remember being there where this place was not busy. It was and remains a tradition when in New Orleans, along with the silly practice of blowing the powdered sugar off onto one another, a practice everyone hates, but which always seems to happen.

Beignets, like any doughnut, are best served hot and fresh out of the fryer and with a hot cup of café au lait. This batch makes about 30 to 40 squares, depending on how thick you roll them, perfect for a Mardi Gras brunch before the parades. Still looking for some Mardi Gras party food ideas? Click right here and grab some inspiration.

Just want a few beignets or in a hurry? Scroll down to the very bottom and check out my Cheater Beignets too!

Check out more of my dessert recipes and sweet treats on Pinterest!

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Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and set aside. Whisk the flour and set aside. Pour the boiling water over the shortening and stir until the shortening is melted.

Preheat deep fryer to 360 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine 2 cups of the sifted flour with the sugar and salt, melted shortening, milk, egg, and yeast mixture. Add enough additional flour to form a shaggy dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll thin - somewhere between 1/4-inch and 1/8-inch thick. Using a pizza wheel, cut the dough into 2-inch squares.

Drop into hot fryer and brown on one side until golden, flip and brown on the other side. Remove and drain on paper towels, sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar and serve immediately with a piping hot cup of café au lait.

Cook's Notes: Makes between 30 and 40, depending on how thick you roll them. Sometimes you will need all of the flour, sometimes you'll need less - depends on the weather, rain, humidity, etc. in my opinion!

Sopapillas: Omit powdered sugar and dust these generously with a cinnamon sugar mix as soon as they exit the fryer and again as they cool slightly. Serve with honey.

Preheat fryer to 360 degrees. Roll out the biscuits until they are thin. Cut in quarters or halves and drop in the hot oil, browning on one side until golden, flip and brown on the other side. Remove and drain on paper towels, sprinkle with sifted powdered sugar and serve immediately.

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23 comments:

Hello Mary, first of all thank you for visiting my blog! And then well I could not resist anything with French in the title. This looks delicious! I will give a go.I have also become one of your many followers. Looking forward to getting to know your cooking style! xxx

Oh my goodness, Mary, you do have the best food where you live! Gosh, the beignets look so sweet and sugary! Only one more day, as you said, until I've gotta give something up for Lent. Hmmmm...I think I'll give up the 'white' stuff to help me lose some more weight! I've already given up French Fries, and that's my hardest thing in the world to live without! Have a great Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras! Roz

I need to get to New Orleans! Honestly, as I was driving my daughter home from her dance class tonight the word "Beignet" came into my head. Weird, I know. I love your description of the coffee shop. It all sounds wonderful.

I was always partial to Miss Mary's (Mary Mahoneys lol) but cafe Dumonde's were good too, their coffee was certainly better.

I can cook anything but am the worlds WORST baker. When you say 4 cups of sifted flour, does that mean measure out 4 cups of flour and then sift it or does that mean 4 cups of the flour AFTER it's sifted? Can't wait to try this one out, although perhaps I should pass it on to my wife. She's the "baker" in the family.

Haven't gotten there yet but I'm hoping you have a Mississippi mud recipe on here.............

I sure miss Mahoney's cafe. They closed it you know. I'm not much of a baker either but these beignets are easy. As far as that sifted flour thing, "4 cups of sifted flour" to me would mean sifted flour first, then measured to 4 cups, where "4 cups of flour, sifted" would mean measure 4 cups first then sift. That said, some people don't think that way when they write their recipes so it can mess things up pretty good if they don't specify.

I don't have a Mississippi Mud Cake up on the site yet, but email me and I'll send you the recipe. Just haven't gotten around to making it to take pics and put it up. I have mud bars, but they are more dense than the cake. You can find the bars here: http://www.deepsouthdish.com/2009/08/mississippi-mud-bars.html

We live in Myrtle Beach SC and love New Orleans. We try to get down there at least 2 times a year. There is nothing better than strolling the streets around Jackson Square and talking to the people. We share so much....we're southern, warm, friendly people....lovin' life! I guarantee!

Hi Chelsea! I've only made them with the shortening, though I'm sure butter would stand in as well. I don't know that I would eliminate the water, and you may need to up the butter a bit too, but without having made that substitution I'm not sure how the dough would be affected.

Thanks for taking the time to comment - I love hearing from readers and I read every single comment and try to respond to them right here on the site, so stop back by!

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